William West

William West has two novels published with TouchPoint Press. The Ascension of Mary was released at the end of 2021 and placed on the shortlist for Novel in Progress at the William Faulkner William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition as well as a finalist in the American Writing Awards. Kissproof World was released at the end of August 2022. West lives in northern Michigan with his wife and two dogs.

Interview about Kissproof World

In a former career, you worked as a social worker in Texas. How much of Kissproof World is drawn from your experiences?

Almost all of Kissproof World is drawn from my experiences when I worked at Harris County Child Welfare which is responsible for reports of child abuse in the locations covered in the novel. The characters in the novel, however, are fictional. There actually was a drawbridge in Kemah back then and it has since been replaced with a very tall bridge which enables ships and tall masted sailboats to sail underneath. The action surrounding the drawbridge in Kissproof World is purely fictional. 

What is it about Texas that inspires you and so many other authors?

I grew up in Texas and I am very comfortable writing about what I am most familiar with. Texas is a big State with a big heart, and like the other States across the South, it has many colorful characters, so it is easy to see why so many writers love pulling their stories from the history and social changes which are a part of the Southern United States.

They say that your second novel is always an author's most difficult. Has your third novel proven easier than your second? How has your writing process changed?

Kissproof World was easier to write because the story was living in my head for a long time. The Ascension of Mary changed as I wrote it, and actually seemed to write itself as the characters came to life on the page. The way I write has stayed the same for me, the hardest part being the first draft to develop a structure for the story, and each subsequent draft being more fun as the creative process develops characters, locations, and descriptions with the style of writing I like to see in the final draft.

What is one thing about at-risk youth you hope readers take away from Kissproof World?

At-risk youth are as unique as any youth growing up in this country, maybe even more so, because they come from an environment and background which creates a negative stain on the character and motivation of each person. Changing that in order to create an adult who is a positive contributor to society and to his or her own well being is difficult because there is no one method for helping all at-risk youth. The system fails when children in need are pigeon-holed because it's easier and cheaper instead of spending the time needed to understand the hurt a child is feeling, showing real concern, and finding avenues for the child to achieve success and feel good about the life they are creating.